Interesting. Breast cancer cells stimulate sensory nerves to release substance P, which interacts with the tumor's TACR1 receptor, killing them, but the dead cancer cells' single-stranded RNA (ssRNA) stimulates the tumor cell's toll-like receptor, TLR7, which activates a pro-metastatic gene expression program. Kudos to them for not stopping at the first step and figuring out what it was that produced the end result of metastatic stimulation. The good news is that aprepitant can stop this process, and oncologists are already giving it with very nauseating chemo regimens. The bad news is that ssRNA can come from other sources – such as the COVID mRNA vax. Do you think all the side-effects of RNA injection have been really studied well?
––– 凄い –––
Google, Microsoft and Amazon are taking a different tack with AI startups. Instead of buying up the startup, they just license the technology, hire all the top employees, buy out the shareholders, but the founders and investors are no longer in control. They'll still get money for their efforts, but it's not quite the same. Maybe this is a better way? This is because of increased scrutiny over monopolization.
––– 凄い –––
Boiling water that has enough calcium carbonate is a way to reduce microplastics. But you need the calcium, so it doesn't work for water that doesn't have minerals. There are filters you can buy, but they aren't as convenient to use, and I note that many of them are plastic-based anyway.
––– 凄い –––
The Mac Mini with M4 chip will basically just be an iPad Pro running on MacOS. Will it be significantly better? Remains to be seen.
––– 凄い –––
Practice works, but genes work better. This piece says that you can work hard and practice a skill, but innate talent will be better. But better to practice than not practice. So "choose niches which are so small or esoteric that there is less competition, or lower expectations accordingly." Is this something we didn't already know?
––– 凄い –––
Taiwan Semiconductor finds that what works in Taiwan doesn't necessarily work in Arizona.
Taiwanese work ethic ≠ American work ethic. Jefferson Patz, an engineer fresh off a master’s degree from the University of California, San Diego, went to Tainan in 2021 for 18 months of training shortly after he joined the company.
“Oh, my gosh, people work hard,” Mr. Patz said. He recalled that this initial impression had given him a strong sense of what it took to succeed in the industry.
After returning to Arizona, Mr. Patz said, employees were expected to pitch in with work outside their job descriptions because construction of the facility was behind schedule.
This approach did not sit well with everyone.
SunPower, a major solar panel company is filing Chapter 11. Green isn't working, and maintaining a business in California adds an additional burden.
––– 凄い –––
Republicans are fighting to prevent ballots received after election day from counting. Dems love this because they can calculate how many ballots they need to create to defeat the real winner. We've seen this so many times. In fact, we've been warned that results may not be known for several days. They're already preparing us for this: AP news, PBS news, LA Times, Politico.
We've seen this time after time. And the public still falls for this.
Heh. Now Oregon is having second thoughts about Clackamas county. They didn't cave and criminals will have to face jail time. So they agreed to a second review.
––– 凄い –––
Private equity firms spent $505 billion on health care acquisitions between 2018 and 2023. Financial infusions may augment resources for care. However, firms have sometimes sold acquired hospitals’ land and buildings, repaying investors with proceeds and burdening hospitals with rent payments for facilities they once owned. Financial outcome of private equity hospital acquisitions and effects on patient care require further study.Looks like they buy assets for cheap, squeeze whatever juice there is, and hospitals are left with less than they had before.
Another one bites the dust. Mt Tabor Brewing is shutting down.
Oregon government didn't do anything to help. Just raised taxes and added more fees.“The whole restaurant industry has never recovered post-COVID,” he said. “Recovery to where you were before is nonexistent. Everybody’s habits are so different now.”
OHSU researchers are getting closer to striking, unless their demands are met. It worked for the nurses, right? Except, they aren't nurses.
––– 凄い –––
AI leaders hail California's SB1047 artificial intelligence safety bill. This is a start but should be a national regulation, than just California.
––– 凄い –––
Mental health crisis. I note that Reddit and Imgur are full out of posts were people try to make light of their mental health problems. A combination of letting off steam, trolling for support, and trying to make sense of it all. In the beginning, it was funny and we could relate. But man, it's getting tiresome now. Everyone is making excuses for slacker behavior. Now the CDC thinks the mental health crisis in youth is still grim. Then I read that mental health of liberal girls fell first and fastest. And this is why there is so much triggering and cancel culture, because they must be protected against assaults on their fragile mental health. And that fear of participating has replaced fear of missing out. So maybe JD Vance was on to something?
––– 凄い –––